This invention relates to electrical connectors and more particularly to shielded electrical connectors.
Electrical circuits can be subject to electromagnetic interference by reason of electrical fields generated by external sources and by the circuit boards themselves or the circuitry in which the boards are a part. The problem of such interference becomes more acute at higher frequencies. In computer circuitry for example, the trend is for such circuits to operate at increasingly greater frequencies in order to increase speed of computer operations, and at these ever higher frequencies, electromagnetic interference can become a problem for the circuitry itself and to other equipment in the proximity of the circuitry. Shielded connectors are known for minimizing electromagnetic interference. One well known form of shielded connector is the coaxial connector having a center signal conductor and a surrounding ground or shield conductor which minimizes the external emission of electromagnetic radiation. Multipin computer connectors are also known in which shielding is provided by a surrounding metal shell. These known connectors provide sufficient electrical shielding but at a cost of relative complexity of construction and of relatively higher cost.
It would be beneficial to provide a shielded electrical connector which is relatively simple and low cost to manufacture and which can be readily installed for use with associated circuit boards.